The St. Louis Blues begin life without defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk on Tuesday after trading him and goaltender Pheonix Copley to the Washington Capitals for forwards Zach Sanford and Brad Malone, a first-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft and conditional draft picks. "It was a difficult decision," Armstrong told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday. "Kevin has been a big part of our success over the last seven years. Not only on the ice, but off the ice. I have a lot of respect for Kevin, not only as a player, but as a person. … We are not in the business of trading good players for prospects when your team has a chance to win the [Stanley] Cup. This team now has to get in on its own. It's going to be more difficult, but if we get in, you always have a chance to win." The Blues hold the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference; they have a two-point lead on the Los Angeles Kings with one game in hand. "For me, it happens all the time," Blues coach Mike Yeo said. "We lost [forward] Robby [Fabbri] and we got right back to work. It happens with injuries, it happens to all teams. There's no excuses in our locker room. Again, it's a good player and popular teammate, but it doesn't change our expectations. And it doesn't change our mindset, so we just get ready for the game." The Blues are 7-4-0 under Yeo but have lost three straight following a six-game winning streak. Goaltender Jake Allen will start.
